Protective effect of gabapentin on N-methyl-D-aspartate-induced excitotoxicity in rat hippocampal CA1 neurons.

Gabapentin was developed as an anticonvulsant, but has also been used to alleviate hyperalgesia in neuropathic pain. In this study, the protective effect of gabapentin against N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-induced excitotoxicity in rat hippocampal CA1 neurons was investigated. Pre-treatment with gabapentin reduced the degree of neuronal damage induced by NMDA exposure in cultured hippocampal slices. Patch-clamp studies revealed that gabapentin significantly inhibited the NMDA receptor-activated ion current in dissociated hippocampal CA1 neurons, resulting in suppression of glutamate-induced neuronal injury. These results show that gabapentin may exert protective effects against glutamate-induced neuronal injury at least in part by inhibiting the NMDA receptor-activated ion current.